Cthulhuesque

I ordered a bottle of Body, Remember unsniffed because I absolutely love all of the notes listed, and... well... hmm. It's very different from what I expected. In the bottle: I can't pick out any individual notes aside from the ambergris. The oil has a chemical smell, and it smells like something that would taste very salty, if that makes any sense. On (wet): Aha, I know what "salty food" this is reminding me of! It smells like umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums). How odd. I'm beginning to smell a little bit of the black coconut, but the strong chemical/salty smell is still there, and it tickles my nose when I go to sniff my wrist. I was expecting this to be a sweet scent, and so far it isn't at all. After 20 minutes: Ahh, there we go. The saltiness from the ambergris has mellowed out a lot, and it has started to smell a bit more sugary. I still wish that the coconut were more noticeable on my skin. Overall: Body, Remember is pretty pleasant after it has had a chance to dry down and mellow, but I'm still not sold on it. I just don't find it comforting, and I'm not finding myself wanting to bury my nose in my wrist the way I do with the blends that are truly keepers. I think I will keep it the scent drawer for now, and age it a bit before testing it again.

I was looking at the notes I jotted down the first time I tested Les Infortunes de la Vertu, and all I wrote down was "leather + orange blossom + oakmoss = WIN". And that just about sums it up, for me. The drydown is a bit soapy, but it's like a complex, old-fashioned, sophisticated sort of soap. It's a bit heavier on the floral notes than most of the scents I wear, but I think the leather balances it out nicely. I do wish that the oakmoss were a little bit more noticeable. The lasting power is great on me, and the throw is VERY strong... Les Infortunes is definitely not a scent that requires slathering. 4/5, definitely thinking about getting a 5ml with my next order.

Does anyone know of a BPAL blend that might smell similar to Lush's 25:43 perfume? I tried 25:43 on my last trip to the mall and loved it, but I prefer to buy from the Lab. The listed notes are: tonka, lime accord, lemongrass, vanilla, ylang ylang, and litsea. Gorgeous scent.

This scent is so, so beautiful! On me, it dries down to warm, dry woods (mostly balsam/cedar?), with a hint of vanilla and ambergris. I'm not getting much of the rose, or the honey, and I don't miss either of them. If Sleeping Nymph and Satyrs were a color, it would be reddish brown. I find it very sensual and verging on a little masculine, but in a sexy, commanding way. The throw is rather strong. I think this is the type of scent that could "convert" wearers of commercial perfumes. I will definitely have to find more of this, as I doubt my decant is going to last me very long.

Ooh, maybe Cake Smash layered with something spicy, like Jack?

Received Fallen as a frimp with a bottle that I purchased from a forumite. In the imp, it reminds me very much of a perfume that my great aunt Ruth left to my mother, which my mom would wear on special occasions when I was a child. Violets and vetiver. A very old-fashioned scent that I could picture on an aristocratic woman in the Edwardian era. On my skin, the violet becomes even more prominent if possible, and violet just doesn't work for me. Once it's completely dry, the sandalwood and amber come out to play, and it becomes quite pleasant. I just can't sit through that ultra-violety stage.

Shoggoth is my default oil to wear to class. It's pretty without being too overwhelming/sexy, and I feel like the lime and lemongrass in it invigorate me and help me pay attention.

This was a frimp from the Lab. I agree that it's very Nag Champa-y, and I like it way better than I expected to (I'm usually not too into dark, heavy, incensey smells). It dries down to a scent that is similar to Snake Oil, but without the vanilla. Really quite lovely and wearable. It reminds me very much of the scent of a hippie-ish import store I used to frequent in Flagstaff, AZ, and I have very fond memories of that place. So Scherezade is warm, comforting, and evocative for me. I might be purchasing a 5ml with my next order.

A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife’s sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka. I ordered my imp of Aeval from the Lab and I was really excited to try it. Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem to work very well on my skin. Once it starts to dry, the sweet pea completely drowns out the other notes (especially the sage, which is what I had been looking forward to most). Honestly, it reminds me a little bit of bug spray. I tried it in my scent locket, as well, where it worked significantly better, retaining the herbal notes that attracted me to this blend in the first place. Still, I'm not sure that I'll keep my imp. Aeval is a pretty scent, I think it's just not for me. Bummer.

I agree that the jasmine is really subdued in this oil, which I appreciate. I'm mostly getting tonka bean (I amp tonka like crazy) and bergamot. I think it's absolutely gorgeous, and because of the sweetness of the tonka, I don't see this as an overtly masculine scent. It would be wonderful on a guy, but it also smells pretty fantastic on me. I just wish it lasted a bit longer (it doesn't stick around for more than maybe two hours on my skin).

Frimp from the lab. I loved the way Arcana smelled in the imp. The lavender and verbena were both very prominent. It struck me as something that would make an excellent, calming sleep scent. As it dried, though, the lavender started to fade very quickly, the frankincense/neroli combined to smell kind of old-ladyish, and the verbena started to smell more like orange... sorta like dusty orange baby powder. It just didn't work with my skin chemistry. This is the first BPAL blend that I've had to wash off. Shame, because it seemed so fresh and mysterious when I first put it on.

Frimp from the lab. Prague is a very pretty, delicate floral. It makes me picture a very tall, elegant, prideful woman in a long white gown. I'm not detecting any of the fruity notes that others have described, although my nose is not that well-trained yet. To me it smells like a cascade of lilies when it's in the imp, and not very different once it settles down on my skin. Prague is quite pleasant, but lily is not one of my favorites, and unfortunately, it's not a very long-lasting scent on me. I can barely detect it after about an hour and a half.

I'm kind of obsessed with The Robotic Scarab. It's a frimp from the lab, (an extra goodie that came along with a 5ml bottle that my brother bought me for Christmas!) and I'm so glad they sent it along, because it's super awesome and I never would have picked it out for myself. In the imp: The metallic notes are sharp and strong, and - this isn't going to sound like a compliment, but it totally is - instantly reminded me of the metal instruments in a hospital room. I think the leather note added to this effect, too, reminding me of the smell of wooden tongue depressors. Really intriguing, and totally different from anything else I've ever smelled. Wet: Once it's on my skin, it smells pretty much the same as it did in the vial, although I definitely start to smell the anise a bit more, which makes it seem sweeter and less masculine. Dry: Unfortunately (for me), the metallic notes are the first to fade, leaving behind mostly leather and frankincense. But it's still a very pleasant scent, and I find it very comforting. I already have a 5ml bottle of this on order. 5/5 stars.

Tenochtitlan was one of the first imps I ordered from BPAL. It wasn't my favorite at the time, but it has grown on me. In the imp: Amber, florals, and just a hint of something fruity... not a fresh, sparkling fruit scent, but a dark, borderline-overripe fruit. Wet: Much the same as in the vial, but the floral notes become even more prominent. At first they are a bit overwhelming, like the type of scent that might give me a headache. I'm having trouble discerning the herbal notes (coriander and hyssop are nowhere to be found). Drydown: The florals sort of mellow out and the whole scent feels lighter and greener, although I still can't detect the coriander, which is a bit of a disappointment. Dry: The amber and the fruitiness have stuck around, although the fruit seems much lighter and sweeter once dry... almost edible, like prickly pear candy.

My first review here on the forums! Woohoo. I received Queen Alice as a free imp from the lab a few days ago. When I initially sniffed it in the imp, I was really turned off by the strong, cloyingly sweet wine-and-resin notes. It reminded me of very strongly-scented potpourri, steeping in a big punch bowl full of sweet red sangria. But I dabbed some on my wrists just to make sure, and I've worn it two days in a row now. It's really growing on me. Wet, it smells much the way it did in the imp, except the florals come out more (carnation, especially) and the woody, cider-type smell is not as overwhelming. As it dries, it becomes a very pretty floral with playful hints of wine and amber peeking out from the background. I'm glad I gave Queen Alice the benefit of the doubt, I think I'll be keeping my imp. Seems like it could be an intriguing room scent, as well. 3.25/5 stars.